Contact: Eric Day, Manager, Insect Identification Laboratory
Size: Up to 1 inch (25.4mm)
Color: Black and white
Description: The baldfaced hornet is a large, black and white insect which is widely distributed in Virginia. The nests are constructed of the same paper-like material as that of other wasps (yellowjackets). They differ a great deal from other wasp nests in being enclosed in a thick "paper" envelope. There is a single opening at the lower end of the nest; this is always guarded by a few hornets. Nests are abandoned at the end of the season.
Habitat: The oval-shaped nests are often quite large and are usually found attached to limbs of trees.
Life Cycle: The workers are killed by frosts in the fall. The fertilized females (future queens) hibernate in barns, attics, and other sheltered places, emerge and begin new nests in the spring.
Type Of Damage: Hornets are beneficial; they prey upon flies and caterpillars. Unfortunately they can be a potential health hazard to people allergic to their stings.
Control: Hornet nests in trees, lawns, or buildings away from the normal activity of people should not be considered dangerous-and should not be removed. Removing a nest is not easy and is always dangerous. Here are some suggestions: work at night (when the temperature is low and it is fully dark); use a red light to see (hornets cannot see red light very well); use material known as (or similar to) "wasp freeze"; and, do not use gasoline.
